The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The book I chose to read this six weeks is an old favorite of many, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, who also wrote The Lord of The Rings trilogy. The book is known as a great fantasy set in Tolkien's fictional world of Middle Earth and with a first copyright date of 1937. There are a few types of creatures that live in this world that we meet, known as hobbits (simple and small people), dwarves (lovers of mines and jewels), elves (lovers of nature), wizards, dragons, men, and goblins (evil creatures). Gandalf is the main wizard who helps the dwarves and Bilbo on their quest with his wisdom and skill. There is only one dragon is this story, as they are rare, by the name of Smaug who is the King under the Mountain, and took the dwarves' treasure. The story starts when Gandalf visits Bilbo at his house and asks if he wants to partake in an adventure. Bilbo refuses as adventures are not tolerated around where he's from, but Gandalf ignores this and invites 13 dwarves to Bilbo's home. The dwarves were Thorin Oakenshield, Balin, Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Ori, Nori, Dori, Fili, Kili, Oin, and Gloin. The quest is explained to Bilbo, and he lately decides to join them, even though it goes against the social norms. Though the group runs into a series of trouble on the way to the lost dwarven kingdom, they eventually reach their goal and recapture the kingdom. The theme that I
think Tolkien was trying to share was to try new things and to take
opportunities, like Bilbo. Adventure is better than a boring life full
of regret.
The book is written in third person point of view, predominantly telling Bilbo's experience. The narrator is omniscient, as they make comments on Bilbo's thought and feelings, and give insight that couldn't be told just through Bilbo's thoughts and only Bilbo's thoughts. The company runs into a series of troubles on their journey, such as trolls, goblins, spiders, and elves. Bilbo even has a run in with a strange creature he calls Gollum and finds a magic ring that makes him invisible. Eventually, they find their way to the dwarves' old kingdom on the Lonely Mountain and Smaug is killed. Unfortunately, soon after there's a great battle with the dwarves and elves against the goblins, where some of the dwarves die (Thorin, Fili, and Kili). In the end, Bilbo returns home with 1/14 of the treasure and a new perspective on life. The Hobbit is most definitely a fantasy (it has its own imaginary world!) and was originally a story that Tolkien told his children, so I think that the intended audience should be children from elementary school to middle school. It wasn't a challenging book, but the fast plot and wit would be entertaining for kids. However, I do know of adults who've enjoyed The Hobbit, and even studied it in high school. When you start reading, you know pretty much nothing about Tolkien's world. In this way, he keeps you entertained by showing you a whole new world and introducing you to new aspects. The overall writing style, though simple, is still descriptive.The author also combines a few elements of satire and wit that make it more dynamic.
This book was essentially my childhood. I've known the story for as long as I can remember, so reading it really enhanced my experience of the story. Though The Hobbit isn't necessarily seen as a life changing book, it helped me to realize that life if full of opportunities. If you don't take these opportunities, life won't be as fulfilling as it's meant to be, so I stand by The Hobbit's message. The only other book I've read like this is The Fellowship of the Ring (first book in the LOTR trilogy), where the first chapter is in the same style as The Hobbit. However, the book changes style after that first chapter.
I admire how The Hobbit manages to be a light hearted book that talks about evil and manages to stay completely child friendly and not at all scary. However, the book is not without flaw, as it has some questionable plot points and methods and some of the phenomenon in Middle Earth is not explained fully. I would recommend this to kids around 13 and under, but not to anyone older than that as they could comprehend more faults and not find it amusing.
Mary White
11/5/13
RATING: 3.5/5
The book is written in third person point of view, predominantly telling Bilbo's experience. The narrator is omniscient, as they make comments on Bilbo's thought and feelings, and give insight that couldn't be told just through Bilbo's thoughts and only Bilbo's thoughts. The company runs into a series of troubles on their journey, such as trolls, goblins, spiders, and elves. Bilbo even has a run in with a strange creature he calls Gollum and finds a magic ring that makes him invisible. Eventually, they find their way to the dwarves' old kingdom on the Lonely Mountain and Smaug is killed. Unfortunately, soon after there's a great battle with the dwarves and elves against the goblins, where some of the dwarves die (Thorin, Fili, and Kili). In the end, Bilbo returns home with 1/14 of the treasure and a new perspective on life. The Hobbit is most definitely a fantasy (it has its own imaginary world!) and was originally a story that Tolkien told his children, so I think that the intended audience should be children from elementary school to middle school. It wasn't a challenging book, but the fast plot and wit would be entertaining for kids. However, I do know of adults who've enjoyed The Hobbit, and even studied it in high school. When you start reading, you know pretty much nothing about Tolkien's world. In this way, he keeps you entertained by showing you a whole new world and introducing you to new aspects. The overall writing style, though simple, is still descriptive.The author also combines a few elements of satire and wit that make it more dynamic.
This book was essentially my childhood. I've known the story for as long as I can remember, so reading it really enhanced my experience of the story. Though The Hobbit isn't necessarily seen as a life changing book, it helped me to realize that life if full of opportunities. If you don't take these opportunities, life won't be as fulfilling as it's meant to be, so I stand by The Hobbit's message. The only other book I've read like this is The Fellowship of the Ring (first book in the LOTR trilogy), where the first chapter is in the same style as The Hobbit. However, the book changes style after that first chapter.
I admire how The Hobbit manages to be a light hearted book that talks about evil and manages to stay completely child friendly and not at all scary. However, the book is not without flaw, as it has some questionable plot points and methods and some of the phenomenon in Middle Earth is not explained fully. I would recommend this to kids around 13 and under, but not to anyone older than that as they could comprehend more faults and not find it amusing.
Mary White
11/5/13
RATING: 3.5/5
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